Prince Myshkin’s Bundle: the Function of a Symbolic Detailin Dostoevsky’s Novel Тhe Idiot

Abstract

The article deals with the artistic function of the symbolic detail in F.M. Dostoevsky’s novel The Idiot. Such a meaning-forming symbolic detail, a thingthrough which reveals not only the essence of the personality of the protagonist, butalso the background of intrigues and plot conflicts tied around him, is the bundlewith which Prince Myshkin returns from Switzerland to St. Petersburg. The detail isdissonant with the appearance of the Prince, and at the same time it is inseparablefrom the hero’s personality. The bundle marks the personality of Prince Myshkin,contributing to the emergence of an aura of strangeness, absurdity, and incomprehensibilityaround him. It symbolizes one of the main features of his personality –duality. The bundle becomes an emblem that characterizes the semantic contentof the Prince’s actions and intentions. It shapes the deep subtext of the relationstied between the characters at the beginning of the novel, helping to reveal andunderstand their essence. After Prince Myshkin’s return from Moscow, the bundledisappears, but the symbolic potential of the detail (“round bundle – unfolded scarf”and “tying – untying knots”) continues to be realized and mark the actions of thePrince, his aspirations, and plot collisions in the novel.

Keywords

• f.m. dostoevsky
• the idiot
• symbolic detail
• subtext
• character
• duality